Earlier this month, the London Marathon announced that British astronaut Tim Peake will run the 2016 London Marathon from the International Space Station on April 24, beginning at the same time as the live race.

While he won’t be the first astronaut to run a marathon in space, he will be the first to use an app developed by RunSocial[1] that will allow him to watch footage, shot at the 2013 and 2014 London Marathons, of the course, crowds, and scenery. The video playback will match the speed at which he runs.

Virtual racing isn’t a new concept. Postal races—in which competitors mail in their times to be compared with others—began decades ago. But advances in technology have improved runners’ experience of events from their own treadmills, and as the sport has grown, so has interest in this alternate way of racing.

VIRTUAL EVENTS, UNLIMITED OPTIONS

RunSocial’s immersive experience—which is available to earthbound runners interested in running the Prague Digital Marathon[2]—is just one point on a continuum of race options. Some virtual races are companions to real-world races, while many more are standalone events. Some are free; others cost money. Some give out swag; others don’t.

Those who run the Prague Marathon remotely, for example, participate free of charge and can complete the race in stages or during the live race on May 8 to earn a digital medal and be listed in the results.

In August’s Falmouth Road Race[3], on the other hand, virtual runners paid $40 to run remotely[4], $25 less than those running the live race. They ran while viewing the course via an app created by Outside Interactive, which automatically recorded their results, or they could run outside and self-report their times.

Remote entrants received a downloadable bib, finisher’s certificate, and the race’s official swag—plus guaranteed entry into this year’s live event. Falmouth fills its field every year and runners who aren't residents of the town but want to run have to enter by lottery.

And for at least one entrant, the option kept a streak alive. Kathryne Bauchspies, who is in the U.S. Army, was serving in Korea at the time and was able to finish her 11th Falmouth in a row.

Outside Interactive’s president and founder, Gary McNamee, says that for race directors whose races sell out, these races are a win-win situation.

“They can’t add any more people, so this is a great alternative for them,” McNamee said. “For their sponsors, it’ll give them global exposure. For charities, it’s going to give them a whole new way to raise money.”

Still, virtual-only races still vastly outnumber alternative races held in conjunction with live events. They tend to have entry fees, with a portion of the fee going to a charity.

Will Run for Bling, founded by Regina and Dwight Jackson in 2013, is one of the leading companies putting on virtual-only events. They put on about 12 races per year, which tend to draw 500 to 700 participants.

Most of their races cost $25 for early entry and $30 for late entry, for which runners get a printable bib number and a race medal. They can pay extra to get a pre-printed bib and a T-shirt. Each run has a different theme—their puppy love and Top Gun themed races have been particularly popular—and the Jacksons usually donate 20 percent of each runner’s entry fee to a charity.

WHY RUN A VIRTUAL RACE?

Regina Jackson says many of those who run her races have busy lives and are attracted to the fact that they have nine days to complete each race. Others are drawn in by the fact that they can break up the run into shorter segments and still get credit for completing the race.

“People like it because they’re like, ‘I want to do this half marathon, but I know I can’t do it all at once, but maybe if I could break it up…’ And that kind of gives a lot of people the motivation,” Jackson said in a phone conversation. “We’ve gotten numerous emails from people saying, ‘It’s because of these races that I’m finally ready to do a half marathon at one time.’”

Jessica Dorman, 34, of Arkansas City, Kansas, who has been running for just over a year, says these races are a good introduction to racing for beginning runners and a source of motivation.

“I know I want a good time so I push myself a little more when there is swag on the line,” Dorman wrote in a message to Runner’s World.

But virtual races aren’t for everyone. Steve Smith, 35, who lives in a suburb of Boston and has been a runner off and on for 21 years, said via email that he runs road races for “the atmosphere, being around hundreds or thousands of others with a similar passion, and the competition against others and the clock.” The idea of earning a race medal or T-shirt through an alternative race does not appeal to him.

“The reason I keep any race swag is to trigger the memories of a fun day when I come across the old race shirt or medal in a closet,” Smith wrote. “I don't think I'd clutter my house more to keep something to remember the day I ran by myself and self reported my time into a website.”

THE FUTURE

Jackson believes races like hers can supplement the live versions.

“I don’t think virtual racing will ever replace real racing, because there’s still going to be that desire to be amongst people to do that and to have that fun, but I think it also gives people that motivation,” Jackson said. “I think it’s kind of like a movement to promote actual racing.”

As the technology evolves, virtual races will allow runners to do things not possible in live races. RunSocial has the technology to allow runners to compete as relay teams, and they can be in the same room, or spread out all over the world. Theoretically, the company could create a relay option to go with an existing marathon that doesn’t include a live marathon relay.

RunSocial’s cofounder Marc Hardy is also excited about the potential to partner with or create digital-only events.

“This is a whole new field and we’re really excited about it,” Hardy said. “We’re interested in exploring any kind of mechanism that gives people leverage to get up and run.”